Scott Springmann - Religion in video games

Throughout time mankind has developed different mediums through which it can communicate. This class has been looking at the concept of religion as it is communicate through the medium of film, but I would briefly like to talk about how religion can also be communicated through video games. There has been a very recent debate going on as to whether or not video games can be considered art. Recent developments in graphics and gameplay as well as improved storytelling have allowed more potential for innovative and fun games that can use the element of gameplay to allow the player to experience different themes in a new way. Religion is one such theme that often appears in video games

An example of this can be found in the Legend of Zelda series. The series itself can be thought of as an elaborate mythology in which an evil presence conquers the world, and a good savior figure appears to rescue it. The themes in this series vary from game to game, and the gameplay of each game factors into the overall story. One of the games, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, occurs in an end of the world setting in which the player has three days to prevent the moon from crashing into the earth. The gameplay employs a mechanic which the player uses to repeat the same three days over and over again in order to accomplish his task. This brings up the idea of sacred time that we discussed in class, but adds in the twist that at the end of this time there is the end of the world. The main character must cause time to repeat itself in order to prevent the end of the world, but in doing so he is stuck outside of time. For everyone else in the game this time before the cataclysm is sacred and meaningful, but for the main character, its just another chance to prevent the end.

This is just one example of how religion can be conveyed through the medium of video games. The player is able to experience this in a new way by playing through it and becoming one of the characters rather than simply reading or watching it.